


Legend of the Soul Stone

by nerdlife4eva



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Ghosts, Humor, Inspired by Art, Light Angst, M/M, Magical Bond, Mystery, Reverse Big Bang Challenge, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, Spirits, kaishin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25721239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdlife4eva/pseuds/nerdlife4eva
Summary: When Shinichi awakes from a confusing dream, he has the name of place he has never heard of stuck in his mind.Logic always guided Shinichi's life, but when the mysterious village of Tendou calls to his heart, Shinichi cannot resist its beckoning.Soon he'll discover that the most amazing mysteries have nothing to do with solving crimes.A fic created as part of theKaishin Big Bangon Tumblr (hosted by the amazingkatsukifatale) and inspired by the amazing art and ideas ofTaijiArt. Please check out the beautiful artwork that inspired this fichere
Relationships: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Comments: 22
Kudos: 131
Collections: kaishinbigbang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I stepped in as a pinch hitter for this event and got lucky to be paired with such an inspiring artist. As a pinch hitter I was supposed to decrease my artist's stress, but instead I was struck down with COVID19 only a couple of weeks into our pairing. I know that it wasn't an easy experience, but I greatly appreciate my partner's and the mod's patience as I don't think I could have pulled this off without it. 
> 
> Thank you, Mac, for supporting me and encouraging me even when I was scraping the bottom of the functioning barrel. I love you so much!

Dense trees lined the sides of the narrow road, branches hanging low enough to scrape the top of the ancient cab as it climbed its way up the mountain. Despite the late morning hour the sun remained hidden above the canopy casting eerie rays of light through small gaps between the leaves. Shadows danced along the edge of the forest catching Shinichi’s eye as he tilted his head backwards against the seat.

The stale air circulating in the cab smelled of jasmine and old leather. Behind the wheel, the driver looked nearly as old as the mountain itself. Short enough to make Shinichi wonder how he could see over the steering wheel, the man wore his hat tugged low on his forehead with large sunglasses blocking the rest of his face. His chin was completely hidden by a gray beard and his collar was pulled up around his ears. Had Shinichi been working a case, he would have thought the man’s efforts to conceal his appearance were suspicious. As he wasn’t, Shinichi told himself to stop overanalyzing and stare at the trees instead.

Overanalyzing. That’s the word Ran had used when she had finally given up on whatever strained thing had existed between them. She claimed that Shinichi never led with his heart and always let his mind do the guiding. Love, she said, wasn’t rational and wasn’t planned. It was supposed to feel spontaneous and overwhelming, emotions that Shinichi neither cared for nor wanted. In truth, Shinichi’s heart hadn’t been in the game of her and him (and their supposed “them”) for longer than he cared to admit. Still she had been the closest thing he had to love and losing it had left him feeling empty.

Ran deserved better. Staring at the forest rolling past his window, Shinichi felt the truth of his thoughts land heavy in his stomach. Everyone in Shinichi’s life deserved better than what he had given them. Lies and secrets, near death experiences, and twists and turns that would have sent anyone running. He had missed the opportunity to really know anyone and the closest people he had to real friends were no longer age appropriate now that he had regained his own body.

Without feeling sorry for himself, he acknowledged that not all of the circumstances that had led to his loneliness were his own fault, but a good portion of his personal decisions had been a part of it. On the outside, he was cocky and sure of himself (or conceited and arrogant depending on who was asked) but inside there were pieces that he didn’t show the world.

Maybe if he had his isolation wouldn’t feel so spectacularly monumental.

The cab broke through a gap in the forest that Shinichi hadn’t noticed in front of them. There was a small lot containing cars of various sizes to each side of them and a road just beyond that was too narrow for any of them to pass. With a grind the cab came to a stop. The elderly cabby stepped out onto the stones before walking around the cab to release the trunk door.

Hesitantly, Shinichi followed him out into the mountain air dragging his backpack behind him. Unlike the city his plane had landed in or even the town where his train had stopped, there was no hustle and bustle on the singular strip of gravel walkway that lay ahead of him. The air smelled crisp and clean tempting Shinichi to take a deep breath and smile as he exhaled out. Excitement returned to his chest causing his heart to flutter to life, relieving him of the melancholy that had attempted to set in during his cab ride.

“So this is Tendou?” he asked the cabby as the man sat his suitcase down at his feet.

“The one and only,” the man replied gruffly, nodding down the road. “The inn is just down there on the right. No cars in the village, everyone walks. Enjoy your stay. I’ll be back for you in ten days.” Hobbling around the side of the cab, the old man disappeared inside before Shinichi could form a polite response.

Hitching his backpack onto his shoulder, Shinichi lifted his suitcase and stepped away from the car as it started to back up. Ahead of him there were only a few people milling around what appeared to be small stalls. The quiet of the village was oddly inviting as if the buildings themselves were whispering their beckoning welcome to Shinichi as he made his way toward the inn. People nodded and smiled at him as he passed, all friendly greetings that seemed warm and open without hidden agendas or requests for help tucked just beneath the surface.

No one acknowledged him by name as often happened when he ventured down his own street. Strangely, that fact didn’t add to his crisis of isolation but reassured him that he had come to exactly the right place. The thrill of intrigue zipped through him again, reminding him of the near manic mindset he had been in while searching for Tendou.

A place he hadn’t even heard of until he found himself awake in the middle of the night searching the depths of the internet for a village he had only seen in a dream.

Tendou was as mysterious as it was beautiful. Built into the side of a mountain with one half of the village backed by rising rocks and towering trees while the other half sat on the mountain’s edge overlooking a valley of nothing but green, Tendou was the perfect hidden paradise.

An open market took up most of the tiny center of the village and there appeared to be little shops extending to either side. Elevated on the mountain was an onsen and just beyond the market was the inn Shinichi was relieved to find was real. If he was being honest with himself, he was relieved to find that the whole village existed.

There hadn’t been a map or coordinates that even he could find but Shinichi had followed the directions of a site he had discovered seventeen pages deep on his Google search. He had taken a plane, a train and then ridden in a cab with an old man who had approached him asking if he was looking for a ride to his fate. None of his decisions were along the lines of his usual carefully plotted ( _overanalyzed_ ) movements and yet they all felt right.

Making his way through the few market stands, Shinichi found himself standing in front of the unassuming door of his home for the next ten days. The inn was quaint which matched the rest of the store fronts around it. There was a small garden with a trickling waterfall that made Shinichi smile as he walked to the entrance. A bell jingled above the wood door as he pulled it open and as if summoned an older woman appeared in front of him.

“Welcome to the Tendou Inn.” Her smile highlighted the wrinkles on her face as she spoke. “Everyone calls me Baba, you should too.” A wink punctuated her sentence and Shinichi found himself smiling again. If he kept it up, his cheeks would be hurting from using the ordinarily ignored muscles. “Now let’s get you checked in… Kudo Shinichi.”

“How did you-” Cutting himself off, Shinichi figured his question was an ignorant one. The inn probably didn’t see that many outsiders and certainly not ones who had called multiple times to verify their reservation. Convincing himself that none of this was a dream had been harder than Shinichi wanted to admit and he still felt a little lost in his daze as he followed Baba down the narrow hallway.

Baba talked as she shuffled ahead of him, explaining that the inn also served as the village’s only restaurant and that he was welcome to eat all of his meals in the dining area. The market was open every day until two if he was interested in sampling others’ cuisines and crops and the onsen opened at one each day. The shops were opened at their owner’s whims but they would welcome him at any time during those hours.

Her voice was comforting which made Shinichi feel oddly at home. Even as she waved him into his room and then said her goodbyes, Shinichi could feel her soothing nature lingering with him. Setting his suitcase down, he looked around the tiny room.

Whatever had brought him here, whatever had drawn Shinichi to this place, was still out there somewhere. The inn felt like a starting point and Shinichi was ready to find out what would come next.

* * *

Shinichi forced himself to take the time to hang up his clothes and store his suitcase in the closet. Throughout the few minutes it took, he could feel a nervous energy continuing to build within him. The same sort of feeling he had every time he was on the verge of putting together the final piece of a crime puzzle or standing in front of a villain who needed to be put in their proper place.

The exact feeling he had every time his path crossed with a particular white cape clad thief who always challenged him more than anyone else.

Pausing in the middle of the room, Shinichi tried to make sense of his mind’s need to bring up images of Kaito Kid while he was assessing his own internal feelings of excitement. His last run in with Kid had been months ago and since then Kid had been decidedly absent from his radar. That fact didn’t stop his brain from reminding him of their last altercation and how Kid had once again slipped through his fingers with that snarky smile of his dancing in Shinichi’s memories.

Their push and pull was a spark in Shinichi’s life. Kid had been an integral part of Shinichi’s final freedom from playing Detective Conan and bringing down all of the evil that had caused his child form. Yet in the year following Shinichi’s triumphant return, they had gone back to being on opposite sides of the law, Kid always taunting Shinichi with his lucky escapes.

“Why am I thinking about _him_?” Shinichi questioned the empty room. He felt silly talking to no one and shook his head at his own ridiculousness. At least when he was solving crimes there were people around to make it look like he was conversing with others.

With nothing left to organize and a desperate need to get away from his own thoughts, Shinichi slipped out of his room determined to explore Tendou and hopefully find out why he had been drawn to this place.

* * *

Weaving in and out of shops, Shinichi took his time looking at creations that were clearly formed by the hands and hearts of Tendou’s residents. One shop had drawings that were obviously the work of children and Shinichi bought several that he knew Ran would love. Another shop had wooden toys, which were a far cry from high tech drones and computer games, but Shinichi bought a few anyway. There would be a way for him to get them to his old friends even if he had to find a sneaky way to do so.

A deep pull in his gut told him that there was someplace else he needed to be. Following that pull, Shinichi hiked up the sloped hill and pushed open the door of the onsen.

More quiet surrounded Shinichi as he stood in the entry room. Low lights highlighted the stone walls and reflected off of the silver fixtures holding stacks of neatly folded towels. “Hello?” he called, half expecting someone to appear as Baba had at the entrance of the inn. Instead a yell returned his call, directing him to come down a hallway to his left.

From behind an unremarkable counter, a young woman waved her hand. It only took several minutes of exchanged pleasantries for Shinichi to be on his way toward a private bath with his arms balanced with towels. For a village that didn’t see many tourists, it also seemed that none of the residents felt the need to prolong verbal interactions beyond their intended purpose. Everyone he had come across had been friendly and welcoming but very to the point. The straightforwardness was as refreshing as it was confusing and Shinichi told himself to chalk it up to differences between the big city he was used to and the ways of a small village.

Nudging open the door with his elbow, Shinchi sat his stack of towels on the closest bench and began to strip off his clothes. There was a shower stall cut out of the opposite wall and another door which inevitably led to the private bath. Through the paper thin walls he could hear others talking and prepping to group soak in the larger part of the onsen. The voices sounded relaxed and content with amusement weaving into the conversations along with their laughter.

Uninterested in the depths of anyone else’s thoughts, Shinichi doused himself in water from the mounted showerhead letting the running water drown out the other noises. Quickly he stepped away from the stream, shutting the water off before stepping carefully out to the isolated portion of the hot spring.

Steam floated from the water making the rocks surrounding it appear hazy. The warmth filled Shinichi’s lungs as he moved closer carefully lowering himself onto the smoothed stones. Heat pooled around him, sinking into his muscles and pushing a sigh from deep within his chest. Noting the high fences around him, Shinichi relaxed as he leaned back onto the heated rocks and let his body soak in the soothing comfort of the bath.

His eyes fluttered closed, his mind swimming with the heat and swirling with all the thoughts that he had been trying to piece together since he had awoken from his dream two nights ago. A golden fish winking at him. A stack of playing cards flipping artistically to a haunting rhythm. And weirdest of all, a shimmering stone that looked more like a star.

Whispers circled through each detail. _Fate. Love. Destiny. Hope. Tendou._ None of it had made sense to him then and it made less sense now that he lay half asleep in the onsen. A mystery created by his dreaming mind that Shinichi hoped to solve.

A brightness flickered over his closed eyelids causing him to blink them open. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed, scrambling further backwards and colliding hard against the rocks with his bare back. “What the?! Where did?! THIS IS A PRIVATE BATH!”

“You can see me?!” Responded the glowing figure in front of him.

Stuttering Shinichi curled his legs toward his chest suddenly aware of how naked he truly was. “Of course… I can see you… and your... fish?” Wiping a hand through his wet hair, Shinichi continued to gawk at the beautiful man floating in front of him. The water appeared to pass right through his belly and instinctively, Shinichi reached forward and found his hand also went through the man’s shoulder instead of touching him. “What… are… you…”

“I don’t know… but more importantly… you can see me! No one has been able to see me!” Batting at the three fish weaving and bobbing around him, the transparent intruder looked irritated at his scaled companions. “Why can you see me?”

Gingerly, Shinichi scooted around the side of the bath, keeping his back pressed against the rocks even as he could feel them scratching their marks into his skin. He kept one hand beneath the water to cover himself as best as he could while guiding himself with the other, unwilling to remove his eyes from the unearthly beauty of the ghost. “Ghost,” he said out loud, biting back his snicker when the other man scrunched his nose in response. “Spirit… maybe?” Shinichi reached out toward the towel resting on the bench and found he couldn’t quite reach it.

Coldness swept over his back as the spirit’s voice came from directly over his shoulder. “I don’t think I’m dead.” A laugh echoed around them as Shinichi shivered against the spirit’s attempted contact. “I don’t feel dead… but I don’t have an actual body either… at least not one that I can find.” With a huff, the spirit muttered “ _damn fish_ ” under his breath. Looking over his shoulder, Shinichi watched as the bright white figure flailed his hands at the floating fish circling him.

“Would you mind…” Shinichi turned to dip his head down to avoid having the translucent entity see his very human blush. “Would you please turn around? I need to get my towel.” He glanced over his shoulder again and saw the roll of his intruder’s very stunning eyes. Once he was positive that he had some semblance of privacy, Shinichi climbed from the water and hastily wrapped his towel around his waist.

“You know, I was in the water when you got in. So whatever you’re covering with that towel, I’ve already seen.” There was a teasing lilt to the comment that made Shinichi feel equal parts embarrassed and intrigued. Whoever this ghost spirit intruder was he certainly wasn’t shy. Clearing his throat, Shinichi didn’t miss the way the spirit’s eyes traveled over him as they once again faced each other, an oddly familiar smirk pulling at the spirit’s lips. “What you’re not covering isn’t half bad either.”

“Do you mind?!” Modesty unnaturally flooded through Shinichi making him blush hotter as he draped a hand over his chest. “Could you… leave me alone?”

“I could,” a casual shrug made the fish bob up and down with the spirit’s shoulder. “I don’t think I want to. There has to be a reason you can see me. No one can see me!” Floating closer the spirit became intensely bright with his white robe blinding in its intensity. “You have to help me figure out who I am! You have to!” His screaming went seemingly unheard by those bathing on the other sides of the fence and Shinichi took a step back to put distance between them.

Behind him his hand fumbled for his clothing, trying to blindly gather anything that he could. His tongue felt useless in his mouth, unable to form an argument or a response in a very unlike-him manner. He opened his mouth to try again but before he could speak, the spirit was gone.

Cautiously, Shinichi patted himself dry to the best of his ability and squirmed back into his clothes while clinging to his towel. His eyes darted around as if the spirit would appear at any minute to once again catch him in a state of undress. There was no glow, no floating fish, and no sign that any of the last few minutes were even real.

Feeling his heart racing in his chest, Shinichi unlocked the door to the hallway and deposited his used linens in the available bin. Hyper alert for any sign of unexpected brightness, Shinichi made his way out of the onsen barely registering the pleasant goodbyes said by the front desk clerk.

Outside twilight had fallen over Tendou creating a beautiful highlight of deepening blue and brightening stars. From his place at the top of the path, Shinichi caught his breath as he took in the view. From here, the village looked magical, almost like an image from a storybook.

A flash of light flickered in Shinichi’s periphery. Without hesitating, he took off at a run, sprinting toward the inn like it would somehow protect him from the prying eyes of the ghost man.

Sitting on the highest point of the onsen’s roof, the spirit of a man watched his one link to the human world run scared down the mountain.


	2. Chapter 2

Opening his eyes, Shinichi stared at the plain ceiling of his rented room and let his mind settle from the storm that had been his dreams. Much the same as the two nights before he arrived in Tendou, his unconscious mind had been filled with confusing images that held no apparent connection. This time, however, when the winking fish appeared, it had two more fish with it and the stunning vision of a glowing man with a knowing smile.

The smile was what Shinichi’s wakening brain had stuck on. There was something about it, the way it seemed to hide some sort of inside joke or be just holding back a teasing comment that felt so eerily familiar. Shinichi had known so many people in his life and frantically he flipped through faces in his memories trying to find a man who shared that same complicated yet alluring smile. His brain came up empty and with a growl of frustration, Shinichi shoved away his blanket and planted his feet on the ground.

He had come here for answers. Unlike crimes, heists, and taking down international rings of terrible humans, this mystery felt personal. His need to understand his dreams felt illogical to his rational mind and completely out of his own well-established character. He was no stranger to hunches and well-educated guesses, but this felt like chasing a fantasy. And yet no matter how much he tried to tell himself that all of this was absurd, Shinichi was still here, still getting dressed for his day and still determined to search everything inch of this village until he could find what he was looking for.

What his _heart_ was looking for.

It was an afterthought and not one that was coming from the forefront of his conscious mind. Every decision Shinichi had ever made came from a place of reason and logic. Being here didn’t feel like the result of either of those.

Disturbed by the direction that his thoughts had wandered, Shinichi grabbed his backpack filled with hiking essentials and made his way toward the dining room to fuel himself with breakfast for the day of exploration ahead of him.

* * *

Choosing a table near the corner, Shinichi pulled a pad of paper and a pencil from his backpack. Half concentrating on his breakfast, Shinichi flipped to a blank page and began doodling what he could remember of the man who had invaded his bath the day before. His lack of artistic skill should have been embarrassing and he snickered to himself as the image in his mind translated to a sketch barely recognizable as a man.

“Is that supposed to be me?”

Nearly toppling backwards, Shinichi grabbed the edge of the table with a sharp yell. Baba eyed him from her place at the counter while the only other two patrons whispered behind their hands at his rudeness. Closing his eyes, Shinichi tried to count to ten but was interrupted when a stinging coldness wrapped itself around his hand.

“If this is me, I’m insulted.”

Squinting his eyes open, Shinichi groaned at the sight of his spirit man sitting cross-legged in the middle of the table. One of the spirit’s hands was positioned over the hand Shinichi had curled around his pencil while the other was skillfully shuffling cards. The fish were nowhere to be seen.

Removing his hand from underneath the spirit’s grip, Shinichi snapped his notebook closed and determinedly concentrated on finishing his breakfast. Above him the spirit continued to chatter away, uncaring that Shinichi was not responding.

“So, are you going to help me today?” Cards flipped between his hands, the rhythm catching Shinichi’s ear and pulling his gaze from the bottom of his breakfast dish. “It’s my opinion that you’re obligated to help me. If you’re the only one who can see me, there has to be a reason.”

Feeling eyes watching him, Shinichi flicked his attention to those in the dining room with him. Baba was quietly smiling to herself in the same place she had been and the two patrons who sat at the table across the room pointedly looked away when he glanced at them. Grinding his teeth, Shinichi gathered his breakfast dishes and his backpack. Moving through the dining room, Shinichi was aware that he was being followed, the sound of the spirit’s cards chasing behind his back as Shinichi kept his pace even.

Returning his dishes to Baba’s care, Shinichi almost thought he saw her look over his shoulder in the exact location of his incorporeal annoyance. No comment followed though leaving Shinichi to flee from the dining room with the hope of keeping his sanity intact.

The sunshine was nearly blinding as Shinichi stepped out of the inn and turned toward the beginning of the hiking trails. Coldness followed every step as did the rhythmic flipping of playing cards. “Why won’t you leave me alone?!” Hissed Shinichi, throwing a glare over his shoulder and then yelping when a sharp _thwack_ connected with his shins.

“Don’t speak to your elders that way!” The stout stranger returned his knobby cane to its rightful position on the ground before continuing his way down the road with disgruntled mutterings spoken under his breath.

Next to him, the spirit laughed with an evil glee. “You look crazy arguing with yourself you know.” That smirk once again graced the spirit’s face. “I, however, can say anything I want and you can’t respond without everyone here thinking you’re nuts. So… I’m going to follow you around and talk until you agree to help me.”

Opening his mouth to answer, Shinichi caught himself when the owner of the flower shop stepped out onto the sidewalk. Turning his intended response into an awkward wave, Shinichi tried not to shatter his teeth as he ground them together listening to the spirit’s laughter.

Twisting toward the nearest trailhead, Shinichi set a brutal pace as he strode into the woods. His mind was flying with possibilities and he felt mildly overwhelmed and strangely exhilarated at the fact that the spirit was not disappearing this time. Instead his bright white nuisance was hanging closer to his side than before, peering at Shinichi’s face like a one-sided staring contest.

When the cover of the trees was thick enough that Shinichi was positive they were far removed from any potential audience, Shinichi whirled on his heel with a barked “WHAT?!” He felt a little bit of guilty pleasure seeing the spirit jump back in surprise and was not above admitting that he was glad to finally be the one who caused the startling.

Circling around Shinichi, the spirit regained his composure while examining Shinichi’s face. “You look familiar.” Tapping one ghostly finger against his chin, the spirit reached out with his other hand in an attempt to flick Shinichi’s bangs. “There’s something about you…”

The familiarity was also tickling the back of Shinichi’s mind and he found himself stepping closer to the spirit. They stared into each other’s eyes, both of them alternating between admiring and examining the other. “Do you have a name?” Shinichi asked, his voice hushed despite their completely hidden spot.

“Kaito.” Brow furrowing, the spirit lowered toward the ground. “I don’t know where that came from. But… it sounds right…” His eyes dropped to the dirt path, his face crumpled with displeasure.

Taking a seat on a nearby rock, Shinichi clasped his hands in his lap. “So you don’t know if Kaito is really your name?” He watched the spirit shrug. “And you have no idea how you came to be in this form?” This time the spirit shook his head, his bangs sweeping across his forehead with the motion. “Do you know if you’re from Tendou? Or somewhere else?”

“I don’t know anything!” Flying into the air, Kaito flung his arms and threw his playing cards in frustration. They sparkled as they fell, disappearing before they could touch the ground. “I think Kaito is my name. At least… that’s what I thought of when you asked. But I have no idea why I look like this… or why those damn fish keep showing up to bother me… or even where those cards came from! You’re the famous detective! Help me figure it out!”

Stunned, Shinichi sat in silence for a moment just staring at Kaito’s frustrated face. “How did you know I’m a detective?” The question came out slowly and Shinichi could feel the strange sensation of ice cold fear dripping down his spine. This spirit, Kaito, claimed not to know anything about himself and yet knew the one detail Shinichi had not spoken of since he set foot in Tendou. That couldn’t be a coincidence and Shinichi pushed up from his sitting spot to put distance between them. “Tell me how you knew that.”

Confusion flickered over Kaito’s face. “I must have heard it.” Not following Shinichi as he retreated, Kaito seemed willing to give him the space he was taking. “I have been all over this town trying to find answers. People talked when you got here.” Smirking again, Kaito folded his arms. “They called you handsome too.”

So the people of Tendou did know him. Shinichi wasn’t sure how to feel about that knowledge. No one had bugged him about his famous detective status and no one had even appeared to be interested in him beyond the friendly courtesy of a kind village. These two facts felt impossible and Shinichi took another step backwards as he considered Kaito. “That’s why you want my help?” Shinichi was used to people wanting things from him and was prepared to agree out of his constant sense of obligation.

But when Kaito raised his head again to peer into Shinichi’s eyes, Shinichi felt no such compulsion. Instead he saw a sincerity hiding beneath the flirty taunts and a hint of vulnerability in the illusion of toughness. It was a reflection of Shinichi’s own carefully curated persona that he wasn’t prepared to see.

Kaito moved forward slowly. “You can see me.” The words were an echo of what Kaito had been saying since the day before but they carried a new meaning as if he was feeling as open and bare as Shinichi was. “I want your help because I think you’re the one meant to help me. And not because you want to be like Sherlock Holmes.”

The taunt jolted Shinichi out of his mesmerized state. Again the sense of familiarity stung the back of his mind, itching to help him snap pieces into place that he couldn’t quite reach. “Actually, I think that I may have surpassed Sherlock Holmes.” Straightening his shoulders, Shinichi felt a bit of his old fire returning. If Kaito wanted to exchange snippy comments, Shinichi could easily win that battle, especially when there weren’t people around to judge him for talking to the wind.

Bringing himself nose to nose with Shinichi, Kaito grinned. “Prove it,” he whispered.

The wind whipped around Shinichi’s body and once again he found himself standing alone. Growling in frustration at Kaito’s ability to just disappear, Shinichi turned sharply on his heel and stomped back down the hiking trail.

If Kaito wanted proof that Shinichi was the best detective to ever live then Shinichi was going to give it to him.

Even if he had absolutely no idea where to start.

* * *

Instead of storming his way back into town, Shinichi deviated into the woods. He talked aloud to the birds and woodland animals that peered at him curiously from their homes in the trees.

The fish and the playing cards had both been a part of his dreams. That had to be significant. “BUT WHY!” Shinichi shouted into the forest, kicking out at a tree that didn’t deserve his hostility. There was no connection between the cards and the fish, other than the man who came with them.

_Fate. Love. Destiny. Hope._

Spinning around frantically, Shinichi looked for the source of the whispers. He half-expected to see Kaito floating between the trees but he was still alone. Freezing in his spot, Shinichi strained to hear if any other knowledge would be shared. When nothing else came, he felt his frustration flare again.

He was, by all accounts of anyone who mattered, the best detective in the world. And yet, he couldn’t even figure out the meaning of his own dreams and what they had to do with the spirit who wasn’t even sure of his own name.

Gritting his teeth again, Shinichi picked his way through the forest heading for the peak of the onsen’s roof. Maybe if he could take a moment to relax and break the useless circular thinking inside of his head he would be able to find his answers.

Or maybe part of him was hoping that Kaito would return if Shinichi made himself vulnerable again. Unwilling to let that thought linger, Shinichi weaved through the trees and set his sights on the comforting stone of the onsen walls.

* * *

Bathed, fed, and dressed for sleep, Shinichi sat cross-legged on his bed with his notebook propped on his knee. Groggy from too many nights of dream-filled sleep and his hours of hiking angrily in the woods, Shinichi idly let his hand travel over the blank pages of his notebook. Another failed attempt of sketching Kaito’s face had been overturned and now Shinichi was dazedly sketching the one item he hadn’t seen Kaito with.

The stone looked so ordinary when drawn in Shinichi’s sloppy pencil work. There was nothing remarkable about it, especially when outlined in dull gray and smudged from Shinichi’s incessant corrections. Try as he might, he couldn’t seem to capture what made the stone seem so special in his dreams.

A defeated sigh rumbled in Shinichi’s chest as he pushed away his notebook and dragged his laptop onto his folded legs. Turning it on, Shinichi connected it to the inn’s crawling internet connection and watched his internet browser slowly load to life.

Idly he started typing words into the search bar, trying combinations of the village’s name and any synonym he could think of for the word _stone_. Much like his search for Tendou, the results were pathetic and not helpful in the least. As he went to click to the tenth result page, a pinging noise sounded alerting him to an incoming call.

Ran’s face popped up on his screen as Kaito popped into his room. Eyes flicking back and forth between Kaito’s waving hand and Ran’s peppy greeting, Shinichi felt himself at a loss for words. Settling for a wave that generically greeted them both, Shinichi turned his focus back to Ran’s confused face and tried to save the situation.

“Hi, sorry, the connection is bad here, took a moment for the video to load.” The excuse was lame and Shinichi struggled to stay focused on the screen when Kaito floated around to sit directly next to his hip.

“Hi Shinichi!” Ran called, her smile returning immediately. “We miss you! Are you enjoying your vacation?”

The lie had been little and white. Telling Ran that he was taking some time off for himself had been a way to appease her after many lectures about Shinichi needing to learn to relax. It had also been a fantastic way to not spur questions that Shinichi didn’t have answers to.

“Who’s that?” Kaito hissed, a hint of jealousy bleeding into his curiosity. He leaned over Shinichi’s shoulder to squint at the screen.

Glancing sideways, Shinichi reflexively tried to nudge Kaito with his elbow. This time the cold that came with touching Kaito didn’t come with the need to pull away and Shinichi lingered just a little too long in his glance.

“Is someone there with you?” Ran was also now leaning toward the screen, creating an unknowingly hilarious mirror of what Kaito was doing.

Thankfully Shinichi could see directly through Kaito’s head. “Nope, just me,” he responded, raising his eyebrow when Kaito turned to stick his tongue out at him. “How are things going there?” Experimentally, Shinichi reached out below the view of the video camera and poked at Kaito’s unsolid side. He held back his snicker when Kaito whipped around to give him an affronted look.

“At least buy me dinner first!” Kaito declared, raising an eyebrow at exactly where Shinichi’s hand had landed.

Which was decidedly not near Kaito’s side, but instead precariously treading on indecent with where Shinichi’s fingers were accidentally sinking into the curve of Kaito’s butt. Yanking his hand back, Shinichi’s head snapped up when Ran exclaimed, “Are you alright?!”

“Sorry!” Shinichi shouted, clearing his throat before lowering his volume. “I thought I saw a… bug. Can you repeat what you are saying, I think I lost you for a moment.”

With her patented look of irritation, Ran propped her chin on her hand. “I was saying that without you around… things are pretty quiet. No one seems to want to commit a crime if the great Kudo Shinichi isn’t here to witness their wrongdoings.” Flicking her free hand through the ends of her hair, Ran kept talking. “Not even Kaitou Kid has made an appearance. I thought maybe with you taking a vacation he would find it a perfect time for a caper. But not even Kid wants to cause trouble when you’re not around.”

“Hmmph.” It wasn’t really a response but Shinichi found he didn’t have a response to that information. Thinking that Kaito might have some snarky opinion on the situation, Shinichi turned to look for a reaction and found Kaito starring at the screen as if he himself had seen a ghost. Preparing to comment on the irony of Kaito’s expression, Shinichi found himself blinking once again at an empty room.

“Shinichi?” With a soft smile Ran shook her head when Shinichi finally looked back to her. “You seem distracted. I’m glad to see that you’re okay. I hope you enjoy your break. I’ll see you when you get back, okay?”

Her gentle understanding that had come from so many years of dealing with his excuses and distance made Shinichi’s heart ache. Ran was so good and so generous with her kindness. Returning her smile, Shinichi nodded. “I have presents for you.” He liked the happiness that broke across her face at that comment. “I’ll see you soon.” He waved his hand as she did the same and then the screen went dark.

Closing the laptop, Shinichi stared at the wood panels on the wall across the room. Seeing Ran had made him feel a moment of calm but another sudden loss of Kaito’s presence made his chest feel oddly empty.

The difference between the two emotions was not lost on Shinichi. Ran cared about him when he really wasn’t deserving of it and his neglect of their friendship was unfair. Romantic love never felt like it fit but the love of a best friend was more priceless than he had given it credit for being.

Looking around the room, Shinichi wished that Kaito would come back. The longing was reminiscent of how he felt every time another man with a devilish smirk faded from his view. Interestingly they were both haloed in glowing white and always knocked him unsteady.

Silence loomed around him as Shinichi settled back onto his pillow. Memories of Kid and their misadventures flooded into Shinichi’s mind. This time he didn’t try to shove them away.

There was no reason this place should be spurring his mind to keep straying back to his supposed nemesis and yet he was once again remembering the way Kid ignited something inside of him that he couldn’t identify. In a similar way that the ghost possibly named Kaito spurred him into action and eagerness to defend his deductive reasoning prowess, Kid made Shinichi push himself to the absolute bounds of his capabilities. Perhaps that’s why he kept seeing the same underlying challenge in all of Kaito’s smirks.

His mind was spinning these weaving thoughts as he drifted off to sleep where his dreams once again welcomed him into their devious and knowing world.


	3. Chapter 3

On the table in front of him Shinichi laid out the torn pages from his notebook. While his sketches were undeniably terrible they were also the only concrete clues that he had at his disposal. The three fish, the hastily scribbled playing cards, the misshapen stone and the awkwardly awful sketches of Kaito spread before him as if they could somehow connect the dots that he couldn’t see.

Throughout the night, Shinichi had woken up with the false hope that Kaito had returned. Every time he closed his eyes to sleep the image of Kaito’s shocked face returned to him. When the sun had risen and hadn’t brought Kaito with it, Shinichi marched himself to the dining room with new determination to solve the mystery at hand.

“What’s all this?” A wrinkled hand reached over Shinichi’s shoulder to flip through his drawings. “Ah… I see…”

Shinichi twisted in his seat to look quizzically at Baba’s gentle smile. “What do you mean?” he asked. Hope thudded hard within the confines of his heart as she gingerly sat down next to him.

Sliding the picture of the stone toward the edge of the table, Baba tapped it twice with her index finger. “I see why you’re here. Have you not heard our village’s legend?”

Heartbeat thundering in his ears Shinchi shook his head. His breath felt caught in his throat, stuck on the lump of possibly discovering a missing piece that would lock his scattered puzzle together.

Clasped hands in her lap, Baba looked every bit the wise grandmother who she was. “As the story goes there was once a prince who was the only heir to his bloodline. He was due to marry a princess from a neighboring kingdom but he was in love with a daughter of a farmer who lived in these mountains. On the night before the wedding, an old man knocked on the door of the farmer’s home and delivered a heavy leather bag with a piece of parchment tied to it.”

One hand patted her apron as Baba continued her story. “The farmer’s daughter read the parchment and stole off into in the night with nothing but a cloak over her shoulders and the leather bag in her hand.”

Shinichi was enraptured by the story, pulled in by the compelling way Baba spoke every detail.

“By the time the sun rose on the morning of the prince’s wedding day, the kingdom was in a panic. The prince was gone. The only three people who weren’t panicked were the farmer, his wife and the prince’s very old grandfather. Sneaking under the radar of the king’s men, the farmer and his wife climbed the side of the mountain until they arrived at a tree from which their daughter’s cloak was hanging. They retrieved the cloak and the bag containing the gift from the prince. This stone.” Pushing Shinichi’s crude drawing across the table, Baba smiled.

“I don’t understand,” Shinichi grumbled, hating the feeling that he couldn’t put the pieces together himself.

“The stone brings soulmates together. The prince’s grandfather crafted it with very old magic that can only be used by those with a true connection of the soul. When one soulmate holds the stone, their essence becomes trapped inside of it until the other soulmate touches it with their bare skin.”

With an air of skepticism, Shinichi narrowed his eyes. “So then when the farmer’s daughter went into the woods… she released the prince?”

“Some say the prince’s spirit was there to guide her to a place where she would be safe to hold the stone. Some say they had always had a secret meeting spot. Whatever happened, her and the prince disappeared and most believe they lived happily ever after away from the demands of the prince’s family.”

_Fairy tales_ , Shinichi scoffed internally. The others in the dining room were still hanging onto the words of the old woman at his side and Shinichi looked to her to see if there was more to the tale.

“The stone is in our museum, you know.” Gathering Shinichi’s breakfast dishes, the older woman patted his shoulder. “Perhaps you should take a walk over there and see it for yourself.”

Muttering his appreciation, Shinichi slowly gathered his drawings and shoved them into his bag. He had passed the museum doors more than once in his walks around the village. Every time he had dismissed the place as some sort of tourist attraction or what would constitute as a tourist attraction if the village cared to advertise in any way. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Shinichi let his expression remain neutral as he headed for the front of the inn.

Maybe the museum would have answers about his currently absent haunting harasser. Maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe Shinichi was just growing tired of all of the maybes and just wanted some type of answer, no matter how farfetched and nonsensical.

Shinichi wasn’t quite sure which outcome he was hoping for, but seeing as he was out of ideas of his own, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t follow Baba’s advice. There was certainly a first time for everything and Shinichi figured that he had nothing to lose if Baba’s story was just that.

Slipping his feet into his shoes and tightening the straps on his backpack, Shinichi set off for the one place he hadn’t ever planned to go.

* * *

Unlike the shops, the inn, and the onsen, the door to Tendou’s museum was made of heavy wood. Not expecting to need any force to open it, Shinichi struggled for a full embarrassing minute before managing to creak the ancient wood open enough to slip inside of the museum.

Inside was unlike any museum Shinichi had ever been in. Instead of works of art and abstract statues, there were scrolls with ancient script and sculptures that appeared to be carved from the stones of the mountain. The walls were made of dark wood and each feature of the museum was highlighted by individual mounted lights. A sense of importance hung within the walls making Shinichi wonder if his disbelief made him unworthy of being in such a place.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke Shinichi out of his spiraling thoughts.

Behind a simple wooden desk sat an old man with an impressive beard and a knobby cane braced on his left knee. He beckoned to Shinichi and waited patiently while Shinichi made his decision to walk further into the room.

“Visiting?” The old man asked, leaning forward to study Shinichi’s face. “Or are you searching for something?” There was a glint in his dark eyes that had Shinichi blurting out his truth.

“I’ve come to see the soul stone.” His declaration sounded ridiculous to his ears and the blush immediately began to bloom across his cheeks.

Chair creaking as he leaned back the old man crossed his arms over his chest. “Sorry, the stone is missing right now.” He stated this fact as if it were an ordinary event for a supposedly legendary object to disappear.

“Missing?” Shinichi inquired, stepping closer to the front of the desk as if proximity would somehow make sense of the old man’s casual demeanor. “Shouldn’t you have called the authorities…” Remembering that he had seen not even a hint of law enforcement type personnel in the village, Shinichi deflated.

Scratching his beard as he shook his head, the old man shrugged one shoulder. “No authorities needed. It always turns up.” His undeterred confidence made Shinichi blanch. “Feel free to look around though. Plenty to see here.”

Sensing his dismissal Shinichi gave the odd man one more look before turning toward the open room museum. Columns created a hint of spacing along with rises and dips in the flooring. An empty podium guarded by a single velvet rope caught Shinichi’s attention.

A small gold plaque on the unassuming wood podium read, “ _Here sits the soul stone. May those who wish to find their match be confident in its magic and sure in their belief of true love._ ” Scoffing at the belief that a stone could really unite soulmates Shinichi stood for another moment staring at the empty metal cradle meant to hold the stone. Wildly he thought of Kid and how this type of precious commodity would be right up the thief’s alley if he ever thought to look for it. Too bad for him, it looked like someone had already pulled off the heist.

Smirking at his own thoughts, Shinichi continued to circle around the museum taking his time while admiring all of the unique pieces on display. Although none of them would have fit in the traditional scope of a museum, Shinichi found that he much preferred Tendou’s version of art.

Another step took him around the last column and his mind wandered to where Kaito could be at that moment. Approaching the indoor pond with the waterfall running down the wall behind it, Shinichi thought this would be the perfect moment for Kaito to show up, ensuring that he scared Shinichi enough to fall into the fish pond.

_Fish._

With one knee braced on the rocks around the pond, Shinichi bent forward. The three fish that had been circling Kaito when he first appeared in Shinichi’s bath were slowly pacing the pond beneath him. The gold fish, the one that Shinichi had been seeing in his dreams, tilted its head and appeared to wink in Shinichi’s direction. Startled, Shinichi leaned back and nearly retreated from the pond when something else grabbed his attention.

Near the back of the pond, tucked just beneath the waterfall, Shinichi saw a shimmering swirl of blue and white. As he stared at it, the shimmering became brighter and Shinichi couldn’t help climbing onto the rocks to get a closer look.

_Thunk_ went Shinichi’s backpack as he dropped it on the floor. _Thwap, thwap_ went Shinichi’s sandals as he kicked them off his feet. Eyes glued to the summoning light, Shinichi stepped into the pond and waded toward the waterfall.

Shoving his hand into the water, Shinichi scrambled at the bottom of the pond until his fingers closed around a rough stone. Yanking it from beneath the water’s surface, Shinichi’s eyes went wide as the swirls of glittering blue and white burst forth from the stone. He spun in a circle watching the lights fill the room until a bright burst brought him face-to-face with a very solid version of once-ghost Kaito.

“It’s you,” Shinichi gasped, hand tightening on the stone as he stumbled through the pond. Clambering over the side, Shinichi reached out to seize Kaito’s very solid arm. “You’re…”

With wide, terrified eyes, Kaito yanked his arm away from Shinichi’s grasp. Shinichi tried to react but Kaito turned and ran from the museum vanishing through a back door that Shinichi hadn’t even noticed was there.

Skidding over the wood floor with his wet feet, Shinichi tried to chase after Kaito. He hit the door at a run, his bare feet crunching on the gravel as he desperately searched the surrounding area for any sign of Kaito’s fleeing form. When nothing but silence and trees greeted him, Shinichi let his shoulders slump as he retreated back into the museum.

Another familiar feeling flooded Shinichi’s chest. Seeing Kaito flee and vanish was haltingly reminiscent of every time Kid had fled from beneath Shinichi’s grasp. Even the feeling of Kaito’s arm pulling out of Shinichi’s hand left him with the tingling feeling of recognition. Chest tight with emotion, Shinichi fumbled his way back to the pond and stared in shock.

His bag and shoes were no longer haphazardly thrown by the pond and the puddles that he was sure he had caused were also missing. Cradling the stone in his hand, Shinichi plodded back to the front desk. His belongings were waiting for him as was the man who had greeted him. Without a word, Shinichi placed the stone on the man’s desk and picked up his backpack. Shaken and unable to form words, Shinichi headed for the exit.

“I told you it always turns up.”

At the door, Shinichi paused without turning around.

“By the way…” the old man shifted in his seat causing his chair to creak again. “What did bring you to Tendou?”

Looking back, Shinichi wondered what the man would say to the truth. “A dream.”

“Hmm.” Placing a hand on the top of his cane, the old man nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Unsure of what to say, Shinichi pushed open the door to the museum and escaped back out into the sunlight.

* * *

Shinichi spent the rest of his day wandering in the woods. Although his mind had urged him to return to the inn and bombard Baba with questions, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the comfort of the forest. The idea of being near anyone, especially when his heart felt splayed open, was overwhelming.

Every time he paused to sit on a rock or drink from his water bottle, he found his mind recalling the image of Kaito’s startled face. Superimposing over that image was the last memory he had of Kid, when he had nearly caught him and exposed him for the person he was. He tried to tell himself to stop forcing the connection between the images but he continued to lose his internal battle. Something wanted him to connect the ruffled and casual appearance of Kaito with the slick, cocky image of Kid but his mind refused to let it happen.

Dusk was once again falling over Tendou and Shinichi stopped once again to consider whether he should head back. His stomach grumbled its complaints over being fed nothing but trail mix since breakfast and Shinichi felt his resistance give in. Taking one final chug from his water bottle, Shinichi wiped his mouth and froze when he spotted the tree in front of him.

With trembling fingers, Shinichi reached out to trace the words carved clumsily into the tree bark. _Fate. Love. Destiny. Hope._

The rest of the tree was covered in moss but where the carvings were etched there was no intrusion of the soft green plant. The letters of each word were dug deep into the tree and weathered at the edges to feel smooth.

As Shinichi traced them with his finger, a shiver ran through him. An image of a cloaked woman opening a bag to reveal a shimmering stone flashed through Shinichi’s mind. Swirling shimmers surrounded her and from within their brightness appeared a man. As if his heart was one with the woman’s own, Shinichi could feel the overwhelming rush of love for the man in front of her. Gasping for breath, Shinichi pulled his hand from the tree and plunked down into the dirt.

Fairy tales and magic spells were illogical and ridiculous, yet Shinichi had felt the love between the people in his vision as if it were a living, breathing entity. It was the same feeling he had felt when Kaito had appeared out of the stone, although he had been too shocked at the time to realize it.

Hand pressed to his chest over his heart, Shinichi leaned forward and finally let his mind flow freely. Spinning images from his dream swirled with the shimmers of blue and white. Kaito appeared and as if Shinichi’s mind had always known the truth, he spun in place to reveal a man who Shinichi would recognize anywhere.

His heart told him that he had been right about Kid being interested in a treasure such as the soul stone, but his mind had stopped him from believing that spirit Kaito and Kaitou Kid could be one and the same. Tears flowed down his face at his own foolishness and a hiccup echoed through the forest as Shinichi finally acknowledged what all of this meant.

He wasn’t alone in the world. Through everything he had experienced, the world had given him something he had never believed in. He had a soulmate. A soulmate that was a notorious thief and sometimes the bane of Shinichi’s existence. A soulmate who pushed Shinichi to be better, to think harder, and to push himself in all areas of his life. Even now, Kid was unknowingly pushing Shinichi to reexamine all of his beliefs about himself.

Now, Shinichi just needed to find Kid… to find Kaito… and somehow make him see that their history didn’t matter. For reasons that Shinichi didn’t quite understand, he didn’t want to piece together any more answers. All he wanted was the gift that the universe had chosen to bestow upon him. And he hoped that Kid would feel the same way.

Dragging himself to his feet, Shinichi stared up at the stars wondering if the prince and his soulmate had really stood in this same spot on the night that they bravely fled with faith in their own love. Somehow he knew that they had, even though he had no reason or logic to back up his certainty.

Smiling quietly to himself, Shinichi set off down the mountain, finally accepting that maybe not all of life depended on the reasonable and logical building blocks he had always valued.

* * *

“Did you find your answers?” Baba stood by the doorway of the inn, smiling kindly as Shinichi made his way back inside. She placed a bowl of noodles in his hands as soon as he had divested himself of his shoes and gently guided him to sit down at a table with a hand on his back.

“Some of them,” Shinichi admitted, bending forward to inhale the savory scent of the broth. In truth the answers that he had found were circumstantial yet they felt as real as any evidence he had ever collected.

A gentle kiss pecked on the top of Shinichi’s head making him blush into his bowl. “Good for you.” Baba patted his shoulder before picking a stray leaf from his head. “You know not everything in this world is explainable by science and facts. Some of the most beautiful parts of life are discovered simply by believing in your own heart.” With a squeeze on his shoulder, Baba shuffled away, leaving Shinichi alone with his dinner and his thoughts.

* * *

Wordlessly, Shinichi made his way back to the front door of the museum. He had paced his room for several hours the night before, barely resisting the urge to run back to the museum despite the insanely late hour. The only reason he had stayed put was because the old man’s words about seeing him the next day gave him a sense of promise in what the next day might bring.

The museum was just as quiet as it had been the day before. At the front desk, the same old man sat clutching a cup of tea and sparing only a nod in Shinichi’s direction as he passed. Shinichi found his way to the dark wood podium still protected by only a single velvet rope. The soul stone laid unassumingly in its rightful place looking no more remarkable than any of the stones laying on the forest ground. Strange how something so spectacular looked so innocuous sitting in the cradle of ornate metal.

Even stranger was that a village held such a treasure and never boasted about its existence. When Shinichi’s pacing hadn’t worn his energy out, he had taken to searching the internet again trying in vain to find anything that referenced the soul stone. Surely someone had to have told the story and how had Kid discovered its existence if they hadn’t?

And the lack of desire to guard the stone from thievery made Shinichi’s hackles rise. They didn’t set elaborate alarms or build protective casing to keep people from touching the stone. Instead they accepted, and even expected, that people would come, that their soulmates would follow, and that the stone would always return to its unassuming place at the heart of this mountain village.

The trust and faith that was needed to allow people to continue to discover the hidden magic of the stone had shaken something loose inside of Shinichi’s heart. For so long he had held himself at arm’s length, keeping everyone just far enough away from him that he wouldn’t cause them pain. Yet these welcoming people had given him a gift. In a world where he had felt so alone for so long, he had discovered that his soul had a mate.

Footsteps drew his attention away from the stone and Shinichi barely withheld his gasp when the flutter of a white cape settled around very familiar shoulders. “It is you,” Shinichi said, waiting to see if this version of his soulmate would also flee.

“The great Kudo Shinichi,” Kid grinned as he flicked his cape behind him, tipping his hat in greeting. “I figured you would prefer me like this. As I certainly prefer you like that… instead of three feet tall and obnoxiously bratty.”

There was a flicker of emotion behind the ridiculous monocle that Kid always positioned over one eye, a flare of uncertainty underneath Kid’s teasing. Noticing his own nervousness reflected in Kid’s body language, Shinichi shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know… I kind of liked seeing you without your ridiculous costuming.” He snickered when Kid appeared mockingly offended.

Shinichi’s grin went a little lopsided as Kid removed his top hat and let his monocle drop from his face. There, underneath what Shinichi could now see as a fairly pathetic form of disguise, was the face of the spirit Shinichi had grown to recognize.

“So now you know.” Drifting forward, Kaito drew himself closed to Shinichi. With the barest hint of hesitation, he reached forward to tug on the front of Shinichi’s shirt. “I guess all of the secrets are out now.” There was a quiver in his words that called to Shinichi’s own insecurities. “Are you going to arrest me, detective?” Raising an eyebrow with a daring implication, Kaito let his fingers curl into the material of Shinichi’s shirt.

Grin splitting his face, Shinichi lifted a hand to fiddle with Kaito’s monocle. “Actually, I’m on vacation.” Peeking up from under his bangs, Shinichi felt the heat swell up inside of him. “Apparently, I was called here because my soulmate decided to get himself into a bit of trouble.” Licking his lips, Shinichi felt tingles erupting over his skin as he tilted his head.

“Soulmate, huh?” Kaito stepped further into Shinichi’s space. “I could live with that.” There was a challenge between them, a fire that was undeniable as it had always been. When neither of them backed down, there seemed only one thing left to do. Meeting in the middle, their lips found each other as their hands gripped tighter to hold onto the gift that the universe had given them. 

As they kissed, the swirling sparkles of blue and white went unnoticed inside of the stone.

And sitting behind his desk, the old man smiled over the lip of his tea cup.


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Kaito's point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I originally began drafting this story, there was a prologue and an epilogue which had Kaito's point of view. 
> 
> As I struggled with being sick, I couldn't quite make them flow and decided to cut them altogether. 
> 
> Stepping back from the fic after posting it, I decided that I wanted to rework what I had to provide an epilogue with Kaito's POV as the focus. 
> 
> Plus, a little aftermath flirting and smooching never hurt anyone, right? 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read this story - I hope you will like this small addition!

Standing in front of the inn, Kaito looked up at the looming side of Tendou’s mountain. The village was as peaceful as it was the day he arrived, the people smiling and kind while the breeze danced through the leaves. Mystery and intrigue had brought Kaito to the heart of Tendou but he was leaving with much more than he ever expected.

Two weeks ago he had stood in this same place drawn here by nagging whispers that wouldn’t let his mind rest. A passing comment by an older woman who happened to be in a museum during his last heist had stuck to his brain like glue. He had never heard of the soul stone before that moment and his obsession had grown exponentially until he had no choice but to chase an answer.

At the center of Tendou’s museum Kaito had discovered the stone. He was dressed casually after leaving the onsen figuring that the relaxed essence of Tendou probably didn’t require his Kid getup to make his heist successful. In fact, he found that the stone was easy to access and the old man attending the museum was more than encouraging with regard to Kaito’s need to hold the stone. It had been the old man who had suggested in a passing comment that Kaito needed to hold the stone in his own hands to really understand it’s magic.

Smirking Kaito kicked at the ground with the toe of his shoe. That magic had turned out to be bright swirling lights which startled him so badly he tripped backwards into the museum’s fish pond. From there he had become magically disconnected from his body and nothing but a transparent mass of anxiety.

Until _he_ had shown up.

Looking back over his shoulder, Kaito snickered as he watched Baba yank Shinichi into a strangling hug. His new boyfriend looked terrified and yet reciprocated anyway. The look of panic was ridiculously charming on Shinichi’s face and Kaito felt his heart go a little sappy. What a terrible affect this man had on his ability to be cynical about the world.

Not bothering to hide his amusement Kaito waved his hand at Baba when she finally released Shinichi only to quickly reach up and pinch Shinichi’s cheeks. Baba had been the same way with Kaito when he had returned startled and soaking wet from his adventure as a floating bodiless entity. He thought it was only appropriate that Shinichi was receiving the same treatment with their stay coming to an end.

And what a stay it had been. After Kaito had gotten over his shock of remembering who he was and then the second shock of Shinichi bringing him back to a physical form, it had only taken him one night of furious pacing to realize what his misadventure meant. The soul stone was supposed to unite soulmates and he had discovered his in the most unlikely of people.

Although if he was going to really be honest with himself there had been a brief moment before he had even touched the stone that he had caught himself picturing his soulmate. That picture had been eerily similar to the slightly frazzled man finally escaping Baba’s hold to head in Kaito’s direction.

“If I had known you needed a hug so badly, I would have volunteered.” Kaito bit back his laughter when Shinichi glared at him. “Come on, she’s charmed by you. How many people can you say that about?” Before Shinichi could utter the comeback that was clearly on the tip of his tongue, Kaito pulled him forward to press a kiss to his lips. It was a luxury that Kaito hadn’t taken for granted since their first kiss in the museum and planned to take full advantage of for as long as possible.

“Cab’s coming,” Shinichi muttered. A mixture of affection and annoyance remained on Shinichi’s face as Kaito laced their fingers together.

Wandering their way down the gravel road, Kaito hummed as they retraced the steps they had both taken upon their separate arrivals at Tendou. The market was in full bloom and Kaito nodded at the now familiar faces of the each stall owner. Some of the shop doors stood propped open and Kaito said silent goodbyes to each one as they passed.

A strange sense of sadness and loss crept into Kaito’s heart as they reached the edge of the village. The last few days were like a dream. Here they could just be them, Kaito and Shinichi, with nothing else to interfere with what was sparking between them. In the real world, they were a detective and a thief.

_Not much of a thief,_ Shinichi had said after Kaito had opened up about his father and why he had taken up his Kid moniker. Shinichi had even laughed when Kaito told him about all of the creative ways he had returned jewels over the years. They had been in the onsen together and Shinichi had trailed water warmed fingers over his bare arm as Kaito had finally been able to tell someone beside Jii about all of his secrets. In turn, Shinichi shared details from his life as a child detective filling in the gaps of the story Kaito had only previously guessed. For the first time, Kaito felt seen and maybe even understood. 

The old cab Kaito had arrived in rumbled to a stop in front of them at the edge of the village. When the cabbie stepped out, Kaito waved his free hand at the old man with the thick beard.

Popping the cab’s trunk, the man reached out to take the suitcases from both of them. “I see you found what you came for.”

“I did,” they answered in unison turning bewildered looks to each other. Their smiles deepened when the cabbie chuckled.

Settling themselves in the back seat, Kaito sighed when Shinichi tucked their hands back together. “What happens now?” he asked, realizing that he had spoken out loud when Shinichi hummed.

“Maybe I’ll arrest you.” Tilting his head back on the seat, Shinichi leveled him with one of his irresistibly cocky grins.

Leaning closer, Kaito narrowed his eyes. “Going to put me in handcuffs, detective? Didn’t know you were into that.” He smirked when the barest of pink appeared on Shinichi’s cheeks and the cab driver coughed. Stealing a gentle kiss Kaito let his hand linger on Shinichi’s cheek.

“Thief,” Shinichi teased. There was a softness in his eyes that made Kaito’s heart feel warm. “I was actually thinking about what’s next.” Fingers fiddling with Kaito’s sleeve, Shinichi continued. “Your mission… to get answers about your father… it sounds like you could use the help of a really great detective.”

“Hmmm,” Kaito tapped a finger on his chin. “I could… possibly… know where I can find one?” He chuckled when Shinichi shoved his shoulder. Kaito knew deep down that he could easily love this playful banter forever.

Faking offense, Shinichi untangled himself from Kaito’s hands and crossed his arms. “Perhaps I won’t help you.”

A mere glance was thrown Kaito’s way when he scooted back into Shinichi’s space. “You know, I was an integral part of your big takedown and your return to this… absolutely fabulous… body.” Resting his chin on Shinichi’s shoulder, Kaito could see the twitch of a smile at the corner of Shinichi’s mouth. “You kind of owe me.”

Shinichi swatted at his hand when Kaito poked his cheek. “I suppose… we could… rejoin forces.” With a raised eyebrow Shinichi turned to look at Kaito. “One condition though… no more dressing up as me.”

Erupting in laughter Kaito threw his arms around Shinichi and dragged him into another kiss.

Life was never going to be dull for them and he was positive they would have a million trials to face before they got to live any form of a normal life.

But what good was normal anyway for the world’s greatest detective and the thief who loved him?

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to my amazing beta, Atelerixe, who made sure no one was a "maniac" in this fic and that all my missing words found their ways back to their appropriate places. You're my superhero!! 
> 
> I only have one other Kaishin fic posted, but please feel free to check it out if you liked this one! Read Stolen Moments [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19008868). 
> 
> And I'm active on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NeRdLife4Eva) and [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/n3rdlif343va)if you want to find me there :)


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